Toumei Answer
by BlueMoonFlAmEs
Summary: The ringing alarm that told me how much of a coldhearted fool I was...even now, I can't deny those words.


Transparent Answer

Summary: The ringing alarm that told me how much of a coldhearted fool I was…even now, I can't deny those words.

Warning: OOC, terrible grammar

Kagerou Project belongs to Jin, not me. Based off original song and PV.

* * *

"_Hey…if that's really how it is, then that's really boring!"_

You said all of that with such a cheerful smile—an unwavering smile that always brightened up your face.

No matter what, that joyful smile never changed at all…

I was truly a fool to believe that, though.

I never bothered to even think for a moment about what you really must've felt like when you smiled so happily. By the time I finally realized…it was already too late.

"_Ehe…I'm stupid, you know, so it can't be helped."_

In the end, I didn't solve anything…I was too much of a fool to even consider the feelings of the closest friend I ever had.

Tateyama Ayano…that was the name of the girl who I had once cherished.

{The story where one averts one's eyes}

_Toumei Answer_

November 10th, 7:00 in the morning.

Sliding open the classroom door, I glanced around dully and took my seat.

The class was still as noisy as ever even with such a small number of students, and the drifting snowflakes outside were a usual lazy sight to my eyes.

…_Well, looks like it'll be another boring day._

As I silently acknowledged that fact, I unconsciously let out another one of my apathetic sighs. These fleeting days never cease to bore me, since I already know what'll happen.

"…Good morning!"

A sudden feminine voice distracted me from my thoughts. Idly, I turned my head to the side to see who had so happily greeted me.

—It was a young girl around my age with an average height. The red scarf that was comfortably tied around her neck contrasted sharply with her long, dark flowing hair. Her warm brown eyes reminded me of rich dark honey, and the wide smile that her lips formed seemed unusually cheerful.

"…Good morning."

After a short and stiff reply, I turned my head away from the girl. She continued to smile rather pleasantly at me as she sat down and untied her red scarf.

Right at that moment, the classroom door slid open again as the homeroom teacher entered the room, forcing everyone to scramble back to their own seats.

* * *

I sat in my seat, staring at the score on the paper test I had just been given back. As expected, it was another perfect one-hundred-percent test score.

…_Really. Can't they make these tests harder?_

While complaining silently in my head, the girl right next to me sat down, having just received her paper test. As I glanced over at her, she gave me a sheepish grin, holding her test in a slightly disappointed manner.

"Ehe…I'm stupid, you know, so it can't be helped."

Written on her test was a low fifty-six-percent grade. To be honest, I was surprised how carefree she seemed at having received such a bad score, though maybe it was just her trying to be cheerful.

"…Aren't you upset?"

As I carelessly asked such a blunt question, the girl's smile wavered a bit.

"I guess…maybe a little. I don't want to be depressed by such a small thing, though."

As she timidly chuckled to herself, she tightened her grip on the paper test, causing it to crumple slightly. Seeing this action, I couldn't help but be curious about her true personality.

"…Anyways, I'm Tateyama Ayano. Nice to meet you!"

In an attempt to fix the awkward atmosphere that had settled between us, the girl smiled joyfully as she introduced herself, holding out her hand to me.

"…Kisaragi Shintarou."

After a moment of hesitation, I took her hand and shook it quietly.

* * *

"Hey, Shin-kun~"

Only a few minutes had passed after that introduction, and Ayano was already affectionately calling me "Shin-kun".

"Why do you always gaze out the window like that?"

It was an innocent enough question, so I decided to answer it.

"I already know what'll happen next. Nothing ever changes, after all, so why bother?"

"…Eh~? Don't you have any dreams or wishes?"

As she looked at me with a disbelieving expression, I let out a tired sigh.

"…Outside this window, there's nothing that I can say that I truly wish for."

_Since I'll already know what will happen._

I can't say I'm being conceited, since it _is _the truth. No matter what problem, it'll always all make sense to me in the end.

"…If you keep thinking like that, wouldn't life be really boring?"

"Eh?"

A surprised sound escaped from my mouth before I could restrain it. I turned around to face Ayano, who continued to look at me with a bright smile.

"Shouldn't you think about the good things in life? You don't have much time, after all! Instead of being bored all day, you should be happy and do the things that you want to do!"

As she said all that with a smile, she held up the paper crane that she had folded up from her paper test.

_...the things that I want to do._

At that moment, a bit of color had splotched my grey world.

* * *

"…There's nothing I want to do though."

While looking down from the rooftop with a downcast expression, I muttered those words with a bitter tone.

I just want to disappear.

It's as simple as that.

My life has no meaning. All the things in my life are simply too obvious. Even if I'm told a miraculous answer, I'll still figure out everything somehow.

…Even if I died, someone would just replace me.

The harsh, simple truth rung endlessly in my head. As I ripped apart the paper test in my hands, the flimsy shreds fluttered ever so distantly in the air.

—Suddenly, my vision was clouded by a thick red fabric.

…_A scarf?_

As my brain processed the events that were happening to me, I felt the scarf lower itself to around my neck. Hurriedly, I turned my head around, only to realize that the owner of the scarf was none other than Ayano.

"…Ehe~"

A playful giggle escaped from her mouth as her long, flowing hair fluttered gently in the cold winter air.

"See? It's fun, right?"

In a skilled fashion, she quickly wrapped the scarf around my neck, tying it in an oddly comfortable manner. To say I was shocked by her actions…well, that wouldn't even begin to describe how I was feeling at that moment.

"Geez…"

As I sulked with a defeated sigh, her optimistic smile only widened even more.

…_I wouldn't mind a few more days like this. _

* * *

As time passed, my encounters with Ayano only increased more and more.

As I continued to converse with her, I found that my dull, grey days had gotten a bit brighter.

I really didn't understand, though.

How she could smile so happily without a care in the world, how she could laugh as easily as ever.

Her existence perplexed me, to say it at the least, though I didn't mind her cheerful smiles.

…_Only now do I realize how wrong of a desire that was._

* * *

"…She's out."

As I realized the absence next to me, I sighed awkwardly. Whenever she wasn't here, I always felt a strange sort of emptiness inside me.

…_She's rarely absent, though._

Pondering about why Ayano was absent, I failed to recognize the students that wept by the classroom door. Only when their crying became more audible did I finally glance over.

…_How._

I finally noticed the flowers they carried in their trembling hands.

_Ayano._

My eyes widened uncontrollably as I slowly realized the truth.

_Ayano._

All at once, my colorful days returned to their original bleak color.

_Ayano. _

* * *

…_Everything is gone now._

Glancing down at my desk, I silently acknowledged that fact.

_Something…may have already gone wrong. _

Passing by these unchanging dull days, it seems I'm the only one who still remembers your cheerful smile.

Even though I tried to know you…

In the end, I never solved anything at all.

* * *

"…Damn it!"

As I uselessly clutched at the rooftop fence, I angrily yelled out at the sky.

…I didn't care anymore.

Everything was gone.

My once-colorful life—it was reduced to the same bleak gray days as before.

And it was all my fault.

Because I had never considered the feelings of that girl—the only person I treasured.

Because I had never thought about anything at all—not even the reason for her smile.

Because I hadn't solved anything—even when all the problems were right in front of my eyes.

"_I'm stupid, you know, so it can't be helped…"_

"…That's not true."

In reality, I was the stupid one.

"…If this world wants to hurt me so much…"

Then—

I don't want to see this horrible world anymore.

* * *

Turning my back from that grey winter sky, I stood motionless in front of the single paper crane that rested on the ground.

It was the test I had ripped from that day.

"_See? It's fun, right?"_

A single tear fell down my cheek.

"…I really…"

—_liked you,_

_Ayano._

* * *

In an empty classroom, a young girl sat in her seat, shedding silent tears while laughing forlornly to herself.

"I'm sorry…"

_Shin-kun. _


End file.
